


The Immortal Emperor of Xing

by scrapmetal



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Gen, M/M, ling metal. metal ling, og greed not greed 2.0, other tags? eh, so basically: au, theres also an oc but idk how to tag that ao3 wack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-02-08 15:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18625921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrapmetal/pseuds/scrapmetal
Summary: While in Amestris, Ling was unable to find a philosopher’s stone, but he did learn how to bind souls to objects. Although the process doesn’t truly grant one immortality, not even close, to anyone not aware of the process’s specifics, it looks a lot like it does. Ling returns to Xing with plans to use the knowledge he gained to win the crown and quietly dispose of the old emperor, but years later, Ling’s metal body starts to reject him, so he calls upon an old friend to help him figure out what he’s going to do to keep his hands on the throne.Cover





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> heya! i've been working on this fic for SO long you don't even know. i love it to bits. i have everything written out im just updating it once a week for 1. suspense 2. all the other chapters are rough atm. im SO fucking hyped to post this and i hope y'all enjoy.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

 

“It would be too suspicious if I didn’t. This is the only way for me to safely secure the throne. I’m not just doing this for me or my clan, I’m doing this for the entirety of Xing.”

 

“I hope you’ll be what this country needs, Yao. If not... I know your secret. You'll lose the throne the moment you lose the interests of the people.”

 

Ling Yao took a deep breath, one of his last, and stared at the metallic face of his future vessel before looking over at his most trusted adviser. “I trust you to do whatever you see fit if I ever go astray.”

 

Mei Chang quickly nodded and drew a knife. She knelt, shallowly cut open the emperor’s hand, and used the blood to draw a simple rune on the back of the hand of the metal statue.

 

The emperor’s body collapsed, and the statue awoke.

 

* * *

 

Ed sighed as he approached the large doors that led to the throne room. They opened silently at his approach, and what he saw atop the throne didn’t help soothe any of his nerves.

 

Large and ornate robes didn’t hide the fact that the figure wearing them was made completely of metal. If anything they accentuated that fact. The fine patterns etched into the face of the figure were repeated throughout their outfit, the gold accents framing the painted black of the hair continued up onto the ornate headdress. It was all to show off the thing that made the immortal emperor of Xing immortal, what made him special, what made him ruler in the first place.

 

Al would’ve hated it. There was a reason Ed refused to take them along.

 

“Edward! I’m so glad you could come.” The voice that came from the emperor was undeniably Ling’s. Echoey and metallic, but Ling’s. He had done it. Ed hadn’t wanted to believe for so long, but now there was no denying it.

 

“Hey Ling.” Ed stood up with a forced smile. “You hanging in there?”

 

Ling laughed, a full body laugh that had every part of him moving. Ed recognized the exaggerated body language from his brother to this day, years after they got their own face back. “Not really, but that’s why I sent for you, isn’t it?”

 

“I guess it is.” Ed replied, smile becoming even more strained.

 

“Good to see Al didn’t make it. Looking at how well you’re taking it, they’d either be rubbing off my blood seal off as we speak or on the ground dissociating right now.”

 

Ed’s smile dropped as soon as he realized Ling knew it was fake and sighed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they somehow snuck into my suitcase. They were so determined to come and help out… I'm honestly not quite sure how I ended up convincing them to stay. It was probably your letters more than anything I said.”

 

Ling nodded in agreement and then stood slowly, joints very literally creaking. He sighed and rubbed his unmoving face as he started to speak again. “I'm assuming you'd like to see what exactly is going on, right? Follow me.”

 

Ed followed Ling through an endless maze of palace halls, twists and turns that eventually led to a damp basement. The ornate design of the hallway didn't change as the two walked down a shallow ramp, but it was clear that people didn't come down here often, or at least, _most_ people didn't come down here often.

 

Ling opened the door to a poorly lit room in what Ed assumed to be the heart of the palace. There was a bed on the far side of the room, a figure sleeping soundly within it. Various metal figures were discarded in a corner, all wearing an imitation of Ling's face. Scrap metal was littered on a large desk to the right, and to the left there was a table holding what Ed assumed were various accessories designed specially for Ling's current form.

 

As Ed and Ling stepped into the room, Lan Fan slipped out of the shadows behind them. Ling turned when she appeared, and Ed couldn't quite tell how he knew she was there.

 

“Should I tell Mei that Ed is here, Young Lord?”

 

Ling made a sighing noise. “Are you ever going to stop calling me that? I'm an adult.”

 

Lan Fan frowned slightly in… Pity, maybe? “I'm waiting until you act like one, Ling.”

 

Ling's face was unreadable for obvious reasons, but it was a few seconds before he spoke again. “Tell Mei.” He left it at that and turned to face the room again.

 

Ed raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”

 

Ling absently walked over to the small table on the left and took off his headdress, which Ed realized was slotted into the back of his head along with the metal bun it was tied around. “We're all very anxious about my time limit, and Lan Fan never liked the idea in the first place.” He paused and his head tilted down a bit in what Ed recognized as a frown. “I mean, none of us did, but she was especially against it. Didn't think it was entirely necessary.”

 

Ed nodded slowly as he curiously watched Ling slot a clattering metallic ponytail on the back of his head in the spot the headdress was. “Al would've killed for that back in the day.” He noted, pointing at the ponytail.

 

Ling hummed in agreement. “I can imagine. It's not a whole lot, but it's really nice. I can't imagine what it was like not even being able to wear any clothes, sometimes it's the little things that really make it bearable.”

 

Ed sighed. “Yeah... You remember the little tassel the armor had on the helmet?”

 

“I think so.”

 

“When we were up north, it got caught in something and had to be cut short and got kinda scraggly. Al was absolutely _devastated_. I was kinda surprised at first I'll be honest, I really didn't think they'd really care all too much about it. After a bit of thinking I think I understand why they got so upset. They really hated the armor aesthetically, but that was one of the things they thought was neat about it. Losing the tassel meant they hated how they looked even more.”

 

Ling nodded. “I had to beg Mei to replicate my bangs on this body. It's not really proper for the emperor to have any of his hair loose, which is a concept I've never been a fan of, but in here I wouldn't've been able to just pull my bangs back out when I wasn't in public. Suddenly something I just thought looked nice before was very important to me. I couldn't imagine having an ugly egg shaped head along with everything else, so here we are.”

 

“So Mei made your body?”

 

“Yeah, she's not the best alkahestic sculptor out there... I mean she's pretty good, don't get me wrong, it's not her specialty. I couldn't really trust anyone else with the task though. She took her time and I honestly think she did an amazing job, all things considered.”

 

“Are you kidding? It's amazing! If only it could exist without y'know. Having to be your unfeeling prison.” Ed glanced at the abandoned bodies in the corner of the room. “Were those made for practice or..?”

 

Ling sighed and shook his head. “Unfortunately, we're back on topic with that question. What you see here is actually my fourth metal body. The first one lasted a good four years, but when it started rejecting my soul I got transferred to another one, that one only lasted for about half a year. Next one, three months. Last one, four weeks. This is actually a brand new body, got it this morning. It's already feeling a bit unstable, I probably only have a bit more than a week in here.”

 

Ed winced. “So we don't have much time left. Got it.”

 

“Unless we find a solution, this'll be my last body before everything starts falling apart.”

 

“How bad will it be? I'm assuming whatever plans you made to make this transition smoother haven't really… Panned out at all.”

 

“Hah!” Ling exclaimed sadly. “No, not at all. We were planning on me giving the throne over to Mei by the end of this and pretend I just got too enthralled by immortality to lead but at the moment… Putting Mei, or anyone who's ‘mortal’ on the throne would be a death sentence. The only reason the pressure hasn't burst is because they don't think they can kill me. If the emperor is immortal, killing everyone in your way won't get you to the top, it'll get you banished. The hatred between the clans hasn't gotten any better since I've risen to power, if anything it's gotten worse. The challenge was designed to keep their eyes off each other's throats and onto something impossible, but now that that's over…”

 

“You never saw any of this coming, did you?”

 

“Now it seems impossible we could ever imagine things going any better, but often you don't need glasses to be able to see the past.”

 

“Yeah…” Ed sighed, letting silence fall over the two. What horrible luck he had with this whole thing, first his brother and now…

 

The silence was interrupted by a small shuffle and creak from the door, Mei had arrived.

 

“Have you explained everything yet, Yao?”

 

Ling tilted his head in thought. “Hmm, most of it. I think I might've forgotten about that, however.” He pointed to the bed in the corner, and Ed realized he'd completely forgotten about the figure laying on it.

 

Ed stood up and walked hesitantly over to the bed. “Is that…” The figure laying there was so familiar it hurt him to see.

 

“My body.” Ling confirmed with a nod.

 

The body was in better shape than Al’s after the gate. It definitely didn't look healthy, but it didn't look too starved or atrophied, and it was clear someone took the time to cut its hair and nails.

 

Ed frowned a bit and recalled what Al told him about finding Barry’s body. “Is there some sort of… Animal soul in it or something?”

 

Ling nodded. “A cat.” He said, words clipped and uncomfortable.

 

“It was the best option.” Mei explained, voice soft and detached. “It doesn't really… Do much, which is good. There isn't too much remnant cat behavior, it seems like the soul lost a lot of complexity after its body died.”

 

The body opened its eyes and Ed flinched a bit. Ling looked almost mesmerized as it reached out to touch his face, but before it could make contact with him, Mei yanked him back.

 

Ling shook his head a bit. “As these bodies have reject me, I start blacking out and almost… Dream about my body. If I come down here and stand by it for a while though, it happens less often.”

 

Mei massaged her face with her hands. “This whole thing is such a mess… you're kind of our last ditch effort, Ed. No pressure.”

 

Ed laughed weakly. “I'll see what I can do, don't worry.”

 

Mei gave Ed a strained smile and Ling put an arm around him, casually desperate in a way Ed recognized from Al.

 

Ed's throat suddenly ached and he realized that he was about to cry. He swallowed and blinked his tears away before they could properly build. He had a job to do.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter two! posted technically a day early but i want to start posting on saturdays instead of sundays so. yeah. enjoy!

Ling sat by Ed as he worked. He didn't really understand what Ed was doing, but he knew that his presence was appreciated.

 

And Ling appreciated Ed's presence right back. Ed was a lot more touchy than anyone else Ling interacted with. He had a feeling Lan Fan and Mei held back on any physical affection they might've normally shown-- not that they were all too touchy in the first place. Ed on the other hand seemed to understand that even just the faintest replica of that affection could be a bit healing. It made sense that he'd know that due to past experience, but Ling chose to think that maybe Ed figured that out on his own and wasn't just doing it because he felt like he had to.

 

Eventually though, the night dragged on and Ed’s exhaustion got the best of him. He sat half asleep in Ling's lap with paper strewn all over the desk in front of him and a pen slipping out of his hand. Ling made a small sighing noise and picked him up gently to put him in bed.

 

“Mmmno Al I can stay up a bit longer you don't have to…” Ed mumbled as he shuffled alongside Ling.

 

Ling stopped dead in his tracks. He realized that this was probably something that used to happen a lot back in the day, and Ed, even though he was half asleep and confused, still wanted to keep him company.

 

“Ed, you need sleep.” Ling responded flatly after he got over the initial shock of being mistaken for someone else, someone who was sort of gone.

 

Ed woke up a bit when he heard the voice that responded, no longer a complete dead weight in Ling's arms. “...I don't want to leave you alone without making sure you're okay, Ling.”

 

Ling picked Ed up off his feet and then dropped him on the bed. “I'll be fine, I’m an adult. I have things to do and you have sleep to get to.”

 

Ed rubbed his face with a yawn and started shuffling under the blankets. “Fine, if you’re sure.”

 

Ling hummed in satisfaction as Ed immediately passed out the moment his head hit the pillow. It was clear he was really pushing himself to stay up so late. Despite what he said, Ling was actually still a bit hesitant to leave Ed, his presence was still a comfort to Ling even if he was asleep.

 

Ling wasn't lying about having things to do though, so he left Ed's room and went to take off his hair pieces and change into his outing clothes.

 

\---

 

The Devil’s Nest was pretty much deserted when Ling entered, which wasn't too strange, considering it was maybe two in the morning. One of the chimeras was asleep at a table, a blanket casually thrown across his back. Two others were playing what was maybe pool, maybe just hitting balls with sticks. It was hard to tell. There was someone Ling didn't recognize sitting at the bar, absently shaking around the ice in an otherwise empty cup while chatting with Greed. They weren’t one of the regulars, which was a bit strange, but nothing Ling wasn't used to. The Devil’s Nest attracted all sorts of odd people. That's why he was there, after all.

 

“Hey look it's Avarice!” Greed announced loudly as Ling entered. The two pool chimeras waved casually and the sleeping one snorted a bit. The stranger turned around and looked at him, or at least, that's what he assumed they were doing. They had on almost comically large, dark goggles that completely hid their eyes. They had warm brown skin and their dark brown hair was an impressively long length, going all the way down their back. Their dress betrayed their western origin, the grey suit not too out of place in the almost overwhelmingly Amestrian bar.

 

“Avarice? Nice theme you two have going with the names.” The stranger said with a chuckle, Amestrian accent thick but not unintelligible.

 

Ling laughed a bit as he approached the bar and sat by the stranger. “And who might you be, mysterious goggled stranger?”

 

The stranger looked over Ling's outfit a bit before answering. “Less mysterious than you I think. You're the one wearing the full face mask and not showing a bit of skin. If you _must_ know, I'm but a humble street performer. How about you?”

 

Ling tilted his head in a smile. “I guess that's fair, it's not just the disguise, this name happens to be a bit fake too. Avarice is a bit too dramatic of a name for me to pick for myself I'd like to think, Greed’s the one who coined it after I refused to give him my real one. Being an assassin's a bit too dangerous to have your name thrown around like it's nothing I guess.”

 

The stranger laughed a bit. “An assassin? That makes my gig almost seem like nothing. Guess that accounts for all the secrecy though. I'm Fletcher, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

 

“Nice to meet you too,” Ling agreed. Fletcher’s random appearance was somehow just what he needed that night, someone who didn't know a thing about him just talking to him. “What brings you to Xing?”

 

“Am I really that obvious?” Fletcher asked with a sigh. “I guess it's the accent. I'm mostly just looking to improve my show, grow my audience. My routines incorporate a lot of alchemy, you see. I go around doing usual traveling alchemist things… Quick jobs, repairs. But when all of that's out of the way I get to give the locals a taste of the spectacular, the fantastic. Too many people are bogged down by the practical uses of alchemy and they ignore how purely amazing it is!”

 

“And so you came to Xing to try to see what you can do with alkahestry I assume?”

 

“Ah! Right, that's what you asked. Yeah, that's most of it,” Fletcher laughed in embarrassment for getting so wrapped up describing their work. Ling chuckled along, their laughter was very infectious. “Oh, but also it happens that the greatest piece of alchemic performance finds its home not too far from where we are right now! Pretty exciting, if you ask me.”

 

Ling hummed, “I don't quite know what you're referring to… Could you perhaps enlighten me?”

 

Fletcher grinned, “Ling Yao, the immortal emperor of Xing!”

 

If Ling had a heart it would've skipped a beat. Everything came back to him it seemed. Greed, not so subtly doing dishes as an excuse to eavesdrop, looked up and stared at Ling. He knew who Ling was and what the whole situation was like, and in exchange Ling had the pleasure to know that Greed was a homunculus, a much more complete example of immortality. Somehow it seemed this stranger found out about the performative nature of his secretary very unstable reign.

 

“What do you mean by that?” Ling asked with the most innocence he could muster.

 

Fletcher laughed again. “Oh, it's just such a spectacle! The emperor reigning on top of a broken system with an undying body created with the darkest secrets of alchemy! Such an intriguing image, an almost unreal concept, and yet it's what's going on in real life right now!”

 

Ling sighed internally. So they didn't see through the act. Fletcher’s interest in the emperor did bring another question to the table, one that had to be asked of many ambitious alchemists.

 

“Are you looking for immortality yourself?”

 

Fletcher’s brightness didn't dim but their excitement did dull at the question. “...Nah, I've never had a reason to touch that side of alchemy in the past, and even though I'm here it still feels too uncertain, too close to breaking what should be possible. There's no equivalency we can give to gain infinity, and besides, I'm much better off just sticking to my tricks.”

 

Ling nodded. Fletcher might've been an eccentric character, but they seemed to be better than a lot of other alchemists.

 

Fletcher glanced at their watch as they settled into the nice pause in the conversation and then sprung up. “Ah, shit. It’s almost three am, huh? Not used to this time zone quite yet…”

 

Ling watched them fumble around their jacket for a wallet to pay for their drink and spotted a briefcase between Fletcher and him. Reaching down to help them out, he didn't see the elbow coming directly towards his face before it was too late. His porcelain mask shattered and he sat up in surprise, his blank metallic face completely unobstructed. Fletcher spun around at the sound of the mask shattering and nothing prevented them from seeing just who Ling happened to be.

 

Fletcher’s face lay limp in surprise for a few seconds before they were able to speak.

 

“Oh. Well this… Is a surprise, to say the least.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enter fletcher! here's [some art](https://esp-ers.tumblr.com/post/184633747419/heres-fletcher-a-character-in-my-fma-fanfic) of them i did a. whiiile back. i've been writing this for a while.


	3. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 3!! im a tad late so i hope no one's been just. refreshing ao3 for the update haha.  
> i've been reading all of your comments and i just gotta say they make me so happy. i keep every email notification i get for comments for... reasons. i'd feel bad for deleting them smgdmsd. please keep leaving them i love you all!!

Ling glanced at Fletcher’s still bewildered face and then at Greed’s maybe sympathetic face and then back at Fletcher.

  


“I-I'm sorry I can. Fix the mask? Alchemy and all that... we can just pretend this never happened and--”

  


Ling bolted out of the Devil’s Nest. Trying his best to cover his now exposed face with the hood and scarf he wore he blindly tore his way back to the palace through the streets of the capital. As he ran, however, his footsteps were joined by another set behind him.

  


“Wait! L--Avarice! I'm sorry can we just--”

  


Fletcher was chasing after him. Why? Ling had a few ideas, and while some of them were good natured, he still didn't know them enough to rule out any bad intentions.

  


Intentions aside, however, Fletcher was pretty damn good at keeping up with Ling all things considered. As Ling reached the wall surrounding the palace he decided to turn to the right to follow it instead of scaling the thing. He wasn't quite ready to lead Fletcher to their death at the hands of his guards. 

  


As the footsteps behind him slowed and he could hear Fletcher panting, Ling realized that maybe he was overreacting. What was the worst they could do? Ling was, in their eyes at least, immortal, unkillable, and even if it wasn't true, he was very hard to kill if you didn't know what you were looking for.

  


Ling vaulted onto the roof of a modest looking building in a last ditch effort to throw Fletcher off his tail, but only a few seconds passed before he heard alchemic discharge below him as they made handholds in the wall next to him. Alchemists. 

  


“That wasn't… Quite… A fair chase,  _ your highness _ ,” they panted as they clambered up next to Ling, the ‘your highness’ in Amestrian, whether to protect Ling’s identity or to poke fun at him he had no idea. “Guess this proves you're the real deal, you didn't slow down at all. No breath to lose I guess.”

  


Ling glanced over at Fletcher. “Are you  _ sure _ you aren't looking for the secret of immortality?”

  


Fletcher sat down with a half shrug. “I don't…” They sighed and shook their head, “no, I'm not. I'm sorry I chased after you, I was just… I don't know. Curious, I guess? It's not every day you find out you were having a casual conversation with the ruler of an empire.”

  


Ling made a sighing noise. “I see. Well, here I am. Ask away, I guess.”

  


Fletcher frowned. “I, well. Hmm, alright. What's it like… Being immortal? And no before you get suspicious I'm not asking because I want to pursue it I'm just curious!”

  


Ling sort of… Deflated at that question, joints quietly creaking. Could they have asked  _ Anything _ else? “Skip. Next question, please.”

  


Fletcher’s frown deepened. “Okay. Are you... Doing okay? I mean. Emperor… Sounds like a rough job. Plus your reaction to my other question was concerning, to say the least.”

  


Ling didn't answer. Instead, he reacted in a very rational way by slowly taking off his entire head. 

  


“No, not really,” he said, voice echoing out of the hollow space inside his body. He stared at his own head from the weird empty space where it used to be that still housed his sight. He never understood how that worked. 

  


“I. I see. Sorry I asked.” Fletcher looked like they were about to throw up looking at Ling's decapitated body. Maybe it was a bit too real for them, before it was easy to imagine someone inside a metal encasing, no matter how impractical that'd actually be. They were a performer, after all. They probably saw plenty of things that seemed impossible before you pulled away the curtains and saw the inner workings of the trick. This was real though, and alchemists always had a hard time accepting the improbable. 

  


Ling handed his head over to Fletcher, who unenthusiastically accepted it. “You know… You could be employed by someone conspiring against me. Almost the entire court is my enemy right now, and it would take something very creative to get someone immortal off the throne.”

  


Fletcher gulped and pulled Ling's head towards them as a desperate attempt at a hostage. “So you think I'm some sort of... Spy?”

  


Ling laughed and snatched his head back from Fletcher without much struggle. “No not really, you'd be way too obvious. You’re probably just a strange alchemist looking for the secret of immortality, despite what you say.”

  


Fletcher stared at Ling with a bewildered look on their face, not quite sure how he was able to get his head back so easily. “A-alright. I get it. I'll leave.”

  


Ling snapped his head back in place and put an arm around Fletcher before they could get up. “Oh no you can stay, I'm going to give you what you want.”

  


“I told you I don't want any--”

  


“I'm not actually immortal,” Ling said. His tone was light but he couldn't ignore the feeling that he was making a huge mistake. Oh well. He only had a week left before everyone else figured it out anyways.

  


“ _ What? _ ”

  


“Didn't you say you were curious about me? Well, there it is. My deepest secret. I only have a week before this body rejects me and my soul returns to my regular fleshy one. My reign will be over. The immortal emperor will die.”

  


“You’ll  _ die?? _ ” 

  


“Oh, no. No, not if I play my cards right and avoid getting immediately assassinated the moment anyone realizes it's possible for me to actually be assassinated. I was just saying that the image I've put up will die.”

  


“...Oh right. I see.” Fletcher looked down at their feet. “Is there anything you can do to make sure you get at least a bit more time? I mean… I'm an alchemist, it's not my specialty but maybe I can--”

  


“I’ve actually already brought in a specialist from Amestris,” Ling chuckled slightly, “thanks for the offer though.”

  


“Oh, well. That's good... From the way you're talking though it doesn't sound like you really trust in hi--their abilities though. I mean, it seems like you've already accepted your fate.”

  


Ling sighed, “I actually have no doubt in the abilities of the alchemist I've recruited. He's… Amazing, actually. Have you ever heard of the Fullmetal Alchemist? Yeah, him. In the end I just doubt the flexibility of the laws of the universe. My soul is strained from being disembodied for so long, and no matter what he does I'm afraid it'll never get rid of that strain.” 

  


Fletcher sat in silence for a bit, thinking. Their next question came out a bit slow. “Does… It hurt?”

  


Ling turned to Fletcher in surprise. “What do you mean? My soul being rejected?”

  


“Well… Kinda…” Fletcher said with a thoughtful frown, “but also just… Everything. Does being in that… Doll hurt?”

  


It took a few seconds for Ling to respond. He wasn't expecting the conversation to go in this direction. “No, no, not at all! I can't actually feel a thing like this-- I don't have to eat, don't have to sleep… Don't even need to go to the bathroom! It's a pretty sweet deal of you ask me.”

  


Fletcher frowned and Ling realized that they probably weren't as infatuated with that concept as he was when he first found out about Alphonse. 

  


“But I mean… Not feeling anything… No hugs, no blankets, no kisses, no petting cats… and even if you don't sleep, doesn't everyone else? I mean, I guess  _ I'm _ not sleeping right now but. Still. It’s late. And no eating… I have no idea how you could list that as a positive as the fucking  _ emperor _ like there is NO chance you'll be starving anytime soon. And well. Going to the bathroom is actually kinda refreshing I guess? Not going to dwell on that one, just refuting all your points.”

  


Ling stared at Fletcher. He wasn't expecting them to be so comprehensive, but it tied in with their worry from earlier.

  


Fletcher looked out into the darkness and spoke again, softer this time, almost sounding like an entirely different person compared to the one Ling originally met, their excessive amounts of energy almost completely drained. “I'm just worried that trying to perpetuate this might be unhealthy.”

  


Ling stood up. “You're really sweet, but I'm pretty sure I'm okay. It's not your job to be worried.”

  


Fletcher bit their lip. “Alright just… Let me know if you need anything, okay? I'll be at the Devil’s Nest tomorrow night, even if you don't show Greed has some pretty wild stories I'd like to hear. And hey... Maybe if you don't die in a week you can find me and I can try to help you flee the country or something.”

  


Ling stared at Fletcher for a few moments before speaking. “Why are you helping me so much? Why do you… Care? We just met tonight and now you're worrying about my health and saying you'd help smuggle me out of the country. Why?”

  


Fletcher frowned as they thought for a few seconds. “I don't know, I guess when you panicked and left the Devil’s Nest it just looked like you were… Overwhelmed. I kinda thought we could be friends when we were just talking at the bar, and I guess I just think you're a good person that deserves a friend.” They stood up and walked over to the handholds they made earlier. “Plus, like I said before any of this, I'm a big fan of your work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're really getting into it now gamers


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy half way there! also, you're probably going to be notified that two chapters have been added, that's because i've made some omakes!! that's all the extra chapter is haha.

Ling returned to the palace a few hours earlier than he wanted to because of the whole mask breaking thing, but the extra time allowed him to pace the endless hallways and think about his mysterious encounter with Fletcher. 

 

Who  _ was  _ Fletcher? It was so hard to believe that all they wanted was to help Ling, but at the same time they seemed pretty genuine. How much did Ling know about them anyways? They were Amestrian, they had some weird… Performance alchemy thing going on, they didn't know much bioalchemy, they came to Xing to study alkahestry and because they thought the emperor was interesting, and they denied searching for immortality throughout the conversation. Ling still wasn't really certain they were telling the truth at any point. Oh, and also they were wearing shaded goggles in the middle of the night and were able to track Ling in the darkness with the things on! The goggles must've been purely cosmetic and didn't actually shade Fletcher’s vision, if that was even possible. And that didn't even begin to answer the question of why they were wearing them in the first place. It could just be a weird style thing, but it could also be a (very obvious) way for them to hide their eyes for whatever reason.

 

Ling's thinking and walking led him to the room containing his body. It always did eventually. He didn't even realize he was in there until he'd been staring at his own closed eyes for several minutes. It was only when the eyes opened when Ling actually took note of his surroundings. He didn't do anything about it though, the eyes staring at him had him in a trance. The body once again started to reach for Ling, for its soul, and this time Mei wasn't there to snap Ling out of it. The body grasped Ling's metal shoulder and hoisted itself up out of bed. Ling still didn't move. The body moved in a way that mirrored its damaged soul’s feline origin, slowly inspecting the current home of its true soul. 

 

Ling could only acknowledge what was going on, he couldn't properly think about it, much less stop it. He remained this way until his body found the hand upon which Ling's blood seal was drawn. The moment the body touched the thin plate covering the seal, Ling shook. He could  _ feel  _ it. It was very faint. Very very faint, just a small amount of pressure applied to the plate that made it touch the seal. He could  _ feel _ it. The body started scratching at the plate, hissing at it. Ling was no longer completely in a trance, but he was still frozen where he was, watching his own body try desperately to reunite itself with him. 

 

Part of Ling just wanted to end it there. Return to his body. It wouldn't be the safe way, clawing at the rune instead of properly deactivating it and removing the cat soul from the body beforehand, but he'd have some relief. Finally. The whole charade would be over, he would be able to feel again, he'd exist properly again. But he couldn't. He had to continue, he had to go on past even the expiration date that came at the end of the week. The country was counting on him. Mei had spent months of her time to make this possible and have it continue for as long as it had. Ed crossed a desert to help him at the very last minute. Giving up now would destroy all of that.

 

The door opened and Ling's head suddenly whipped around in a moment of sudden clarity. It was Ed, carrying a tray of food Ling recognized as his body’s breakfast. He looked on at Ling and his body in surprise and slight horror, the tray slowly slipping out of his fingers.

 

The clatter of the tray against the floor snapped him out of it. “Ling what's going…” He shook his head and ran up to Ling. Ed gently pried the body off of Ling and helped it back into its bed. 

 

Ed massaged his face as he turned towards Ling. “Are you alright?”

 

Ling nodded. “Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just got a bit… Distracted.”

 

Ed stared at Ling, his face was slowly contorting as his mask of reassurance crumbled. He let out a few choked breaths before suddenly grabbing Ling and holding him in a fiercely strong hug, like if he squeezed hard enough he'd be able to get past the metal. He was crying freely now, hiccuping against Ling's perfectly still form.

 

Ling sat there in surprise for a bit before returning the hug, much more delicately so that he didn't accidentally crush him. He started shaking under Ed’s grasp, unable to express himself in any other way. 

 

“I'm sorry, Ling. I'm sorry… I'm sorry,” Ed repeated into Ling's shoulder. It was almost if he was unable to stand, Ling was the only thing keeping him upright, his automail leg creaked. 

 

“Ed, what are you talking about? You didn't do anything wrong,” Ling reassured hesitantly. He didn't really know what Ed was apologizing for.

 

“I can’t do it, Ling. I-I can’t. It’s impossible. We can’t keep this up,” Ed mutterex, collapsing onto the floor. “I’ve looked at everything, Mei’s a very good alkahestrist,” he laughed hollowly, “she’s been very thorough with her research. There aren’t any loopholes, there’s no… Stroke of genius I’m ever going to get to fix this. Nothing short of a philosopher’s stone can keep your soul out of your body.”

 

Ling knelt down and softly put a hand on Ed’s shoulder. He didn’t quite know what to say. Ed wasn’t one to just give up like this. “Are- are you sure? I mean…” he trailed off once he saw the tired expression on Ed’s face. “Nevermind, I’m sorry.”

 

“‘S okay…” Ed mumbled, glancing down. “It's important. It is. I just. It's so hard to see you like this. I can't help  _ sustain _ this I. I swear I've done all I can but Ling  _ please _ I beg of you can we just end this a few days early?”

 

Ling's hand slipped off of Ed’s shoulder. “I’m. We can't. If we really can't find a way to prolong the time I have, I have to at least use what's left to try to make the transition as smooth as possible. It's fine. I'm fine. I can do this.”

 

Ed shook his head slowly. “No no no I can't let you do this. Ling I--I’m in  _ love  _ with you I can't just sit by and let you continue to hurt like this I--” he blinked in sudden realization and a hint of blush appeared on his cheeks. “Nevermind. I'm sorry. Forget I said anything, I'll go back over Mei's research I-I'm sure I missed something.” He stumbled up and started heading out of the room as he apologized, keeping his eyes off Ling. 

 

Ling stood up. “Ed,” he stated firmly, “we're going to have to talk about this eventually. I'd rather we talk before the political chaos that's destined to occur after I fall. Life or death situations can ruin lots of conversations.”

 

Ed froze but didn't turn around. “What are we talking about... exactly?”

 

Ling laughed unconvincingly and replaced his racing nerves with a faked indifference. “Hmm, you did say you’re in love me.” 

 

“Oh okay. That.” Ed wheezed before clearing his throat. “That was just me getting a bit too worked up, I'll… go now.” He bowed his head a bit and started walking again.

 

Ling’s act dropped to panic as he watched Ed take a few more steps towards the open doorway. In a split second decision he lept forwards and took Ed's hand. “Waiwaiwait..! Can I come too?”

 

Ed stared at Ling for a few seconds before laughing. “Sure. Let's get out of this stupid room.”

 

Ling tilted his head up in a smile. “Sounds good.”

 

* * *

Ling watched as Ed ate his breakfast in his room while glancing through Mei’s notes. It was clear he wasn't really paying much attention, but he had said he’d still look for loopholes, just maybe with less desperation and intensity as the night before.

 

“Have you ever met an alchemist named Fletcher on your travels around Amestris?” Ling asked suddenly.

 

Ed looked up from the notes and blinked in surprise. “Yeah, actually. There was this one kid and his brother that actually impersonated Al and I,” he laughed, “why do you ask?”

 

“I met an Amestrian alchemist last night I wondered if you knew them,” Ling shrugged, “they were pretty interesting.”

 

“Wonder if it's the same Fletcher… What’d they look like?”

 

“They wore the strangest goggles, they were dark and made it impossible to see their eyes, and they didn't even take them off when outside in the dark. They had brown hair going down to about here,” Ling gestured to a spot around his hip, “and brown skin, similar shade to yours I’d say. They're pretty big and tall, but they have kind of a soft, nice face. Cuts down any sense of intimidation you might get from them.”

 

Ed hummed, “different Fletcher then. The one I met was blonde and pale. Also like, five. He'd probably still be a teenager nowadays. I wouldn't say that the goggles are too strange though, they might have some Ishvalan ancestry. It can be dangerous to travel around with red eyes, and even if things are different in Xing they'd probably still be a bit cautious.”

 

Ling nodded. “That makes sense, I guess you see that a lot more in Amestris. Another thing, are alchemy performances a thing that happens in Amestris? They claimed that's what they use their alchemy for but I've never seen it, and they seemed a bit too enthralled by the whole immortal emperor thing for me to trust them.”

 

“Oh yeah, that's a thing. I've only seen one once, but maybe it's become more common since I've last traveled around. I mean, I'd still keep an eye on them, but they probably do perform. It'd kinda be a weird cover up story anyways.”

 

“Yeah you're right,” Ling chuckled. “I don't think I have to worry about them pursuing immortality anyways… If they were looking in the first place I think they got turned off once they learned about my time limit.”

 

Ed blinked before frowning in confusion. “Waiwaiwait what exactly did you  _ tell _ them??”

 

Ling's head tilted down a few degrees in a subtle show of shame. “Most of it. The mask I wear when I go out accidentally broke so I panicked and ran away after they saw my… Not face. They ended up chasing me down... they were really persistent. Even now I still don't quite understand what's going on with them but they already knew who I was and I figured the truth would put them off immortality.”

 

“Well… The Truth does tend to do that,” Ed said with a chuckle before frowning. “You've given up on the chance we'll be able to extend your time too, haven't you.” 

 

Ling looked over at Ed surprise. “I-- yeah. I guess I have,” he responded, deflating. “Fletcher actually offered to help, funnily enough. Doubt they could do much more than you though.”

 

“You have so much trust in your friends, Ling,” Ed said sarcastically.

 

“Oh shut up Ed, you know what I mean.”

 

Ed smiled. “I'm glad you still think I'm a genius alchemist after everything we've been through.”

 

“Are you referring to the boot?”

 

“No! I was referring to the fact that I can't actually do alchemy anymore, dipshit!”

 

Ling dramatically threw an arm over Ed's shoulders. “Such a horrid insult coming from a man who just professed his love to me!”

 

Ed's face immediately flushed as he collapsed under the unexpected weight of Ling's comment (and arm). “Shut up shut up shut UP you're making me regret something I ALREADY regretted the moment it slipped out of my mouth I SWEAR--”

 

Ling softly tapped Ed's cheek with his forehead in a desperate attempt to replicate a kiss, and the moment Ed realized what he was trying to do he broke down into sobs. 

 

“Ling I-I swear… You can't just… Oh god I--”

 

“I know.” Ling put his other arm around Ed slowly. “I know. Only a few more days of this, alright? Then I can give you a real kiss.”

 

Ed reciprocated the hug and let himself drape over Ling for the second time that day. “We’re back where we started today, huh?”

 

Ling considered Ed’s words for a second before responding. “No, not quite. This morning I had no idea you had feelings for me, and you didn’t know they were reciprocated.”

 

Ed frowned. “Is this your very roundabout way of saying you love me back?”

 

Ling’s head tilted in thought. “Maybe, but I can also say it outright. I love you.”

 

Ed laughed quietly as his face quickly reddened. “Dumbass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edling real


	5. Omake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun and games time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keep in mind that none of these are canon haha. just somethin i thought would be fun :D


	6. 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey we're back! [here's](https://esp-ers.tumblr.com/post/185121001179/a-scene-from-my-fanfic-specifically-chapter-four) some art for a scene in the last chapter that i just didn't post because i posted the omakes last week. gotta space things out. hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

The moment Ling was out of sight of the royal court his shoulders slumped as he sighed. That sure was… A meeting. He still didn't know if making Mei his official successor was a good idea. He felt like he just guaranteed her gruesome death. She had told him it was time before the meeting but… the look of fear on her face when he made the declaration was like a punch in the metaphorical gut. 

 

The reactions from the rest of the court were something else altogether. No one was expecting to hear that from the  _ immortal  _ emperor. Ling could easily pick out about ten nobles that started contemplating how to kill him the moment they comprehended what exactly the declaration could mean.

 

Somehow even his choice of Mei as successor surprised the court. He wasn’t expecting that part. Apparently the Chang clan was still too poor for her to be acknowledged, even if he, the emperor, listened to her the most and sided with her constantly. His choice would’ve been obvious to anyone whose judgement wasn't clouded by extreme classism. Really said something about the court as a whole. 

 

Ed was standing there waiting for Ling as he entered the small prep room just outside the courtroom. He waved and gave Ling a sorry smile. 

 

“Did it go alright..?”

 

Ling shrugged. “Well… Mei wasn't  _ immediately  _ killed.”

 

Ed cringed. “That bad?”

 

“If Lan Fan isn't trailed by less than three enemy spies when we leave I'll buy you dinner tomorrow.”

 

“Aren't you already feeding me?”

 

“Metaphorical dinner, so I can have some too.”

 

Ed snorted at that as Ling took off his fancy robes, leaving a much more simple outfit underneath. The robes looked about five inches thick, showing off the fact that Ling couldn't overheat in them even though it was a hot summer day.

 

“You want me to up your guard?” Ling asked, glancing in Ed’s direction.

 

Ed blinked. “My  _ what _ ?”

 

Ling laughed, “haven’t noticed the two guards trailing after you wherever you go and positioning themselves outside every room you enter?”

 

“No..? I had no idea.” Ed frowned,  “That should be fine though, it’s not like I can’t handle it myself.”

 

Ling shrugged. “Alright, just making sure. No one outside of our little group knows why you're here, and now that things are getting a lot more heated they might see you as a threat.”

 

“Nothing I haven’t dealt with before, come on. Let’s do something that doesn’t involve angry politicians or whatever.”

 

Ling wanted to argue that Ed didn’t have his alchemy and so therefore he was more vulnerable, but he didn’t want to get punched in the face… even if he couldn’t actually feel it.

 

Ed opened up the door of the room into the hallway, looking around it with suspicion. He jumped back into the room a bit and Ling saw Lan Fan’s familiar mask poke into view.

 

“Do you need something, Ed?” She asked, poorly hiding the amusement in her voice.

 

“No! No, just uh... Looking for something, it's nothing don't worry about it,” he responded quickly before stepping out of the room again. 

 

“Are you just planning on going over the notes again?” Ling asked after the two had made it down the hallway a bit. 

 

Ed looked back at Ling and shrugged. “Yeah I guess,” he let out an enormous yawn before continuing, “not like I have much else to do tonight.” 

 

Ling tilted his head. “Hmm, are you sure about that? You only got… What. Two hours of sleep last night?”

 

Ed frowned and looked forwards again. “So? That doesn't mean I'm tired now. It's only like… 9.”

 

Ling gave Ed a disapproving look as they reached his room. The look wasn’t very different from how Ling usually looked, but Ed seemed to get the point. He sighed. 

 

“Fine, I'll go to sleep. But only if you promise me to try to find that Fletcher character again. I want to hear more about them. It'll also make me feel better about leaving you.”

 

Ling sighed. “You aren't  _ leaving  _ me by taking care of yourself, but alright, I'll find them. I'll even tell you all about it.”

 

Ed smiled slightly as he entered his room. “Good night,” he said as he closed the door.

 

“Night! Love you,” Ling responded. He heard a small sound of surprise on the other side of the door and quietly chuckled. Lucky for Ed, he was already planning on finding Fletcher that night, even if all that meant was just going to the Devil’s Nest like he always did.

 

* * *

The Devil’s Nest was a lot more crowded that night than it was the one before, probably because it was several hours earlier in the day. There were patrons other than Fletcher and the chimeras. Regulars, mostly, but also a few strangers probably hoping to find a deal they wouldn’t find. 

 

Fletcher was already knees deep in conversation with Greed and one of the chimeras, Martel, the snake one if Ling could recall correctly. It occurred to Ling that they were a pretty charismatic person, not many people were able to just saunter up and talk to Greed, hell, not many people were able to just strike a friendly conversation with Ling himself. 

 

Ling slowly inched his way into the group and Fletcher paused mid sentence to greet him. 

 

“Hey L-- Avarice! We're just talking about the town these two came from, Dublith, doubt you've heard of it. I actually lived there for a while as a kid! Small world. They had a bar there for a while that… Did it  _ really  _ look exactly the same as this one?” 

 

Martel shrugged. “Pretty much.”

 

“Anyways I never ran into them before they moved here about a decade ago but it's kinda wild to think about.”

 

Ling tilted his head up in a smile. “Sure is! The friend I mentioned last night, the one helping me out, actually studied alchemy there, wonder if you two met?” He of course knew that Ed didn't know them, but he wanted to see how they'd answer, just as a test. 

 

Fletcher frowned slightly. “Studying alchemy in Dublith? The  _ Fullmetal Alchemist? _ I had no idea. I wonder who his teacher was… I can think of one alchemist, but I don’t think she ever had any students. She was kinda scary.”

 

Ling nodded, but before he could comment Fletcher started talking again.

 

“Oh! Avarice! Before I forget-- I fixed the mask I broke yesterday-- here,” they awkwardly balanced their briefcase on their crossed legs before opening it up and taking out the mask. “I mean, I guess you have a backup… Considering you're wearing it right now, but I didn't want to just run off without doing anything about it.”

 

Ling took the mask, looked around a bit, and then unlatched the panel that was his chest and stashed the mask in there. He didn't really have any pockets big enough for it, and he already kept all sorts of things in there. 

 

Fletcher laughed quietly at the sight. “Oh! And uh, speaking of alchemy… kind of… I was thinking maybe I could… Show you some of the stuff I perform? Maybe? I mean… can't imagine you'd ever get a chance to see my little show from y'know, up there.”

 

The way Fletcher talked about their alchemy was almost amusing for Ling, they were so tentative and humble for someone who supposedly performed on the street every day. He had to admit he was interested though, but before he could respond, Greed butted in. 

 

“Uh, sorry Fletch but if you wanna be doing crazy alchemy hijinks I'm going to have to ask you to do it in the back room.”

 

Fletcher smiled apologetically. “Ah right, yeah, that makes sense. Don't want to get transmutation marks all over the counters or anything. Avarice, do you want to..?”

 

Ling nodded. “Sure! Lead the way, Greed.”

 

Greed gave Ling and Fletcher a toothy smirk as he gestured them to come behind the bar. Fletcher looked back at Ling with a worried look and he shrugged in return. Ling was pretty sure Greed’s face just looked like that, he was generally decently trustworthy otherwise.

 

The room Greed brought the two to was filled to the brim with a strange collection of arguably valuable objects. It was Greed’s bedroom, and the only reason Ling knew that was because he’d been there before. Without that context it would be impossible to know what it was supposed to be. 

 

“Uh, Greed… I don't really think it'll be easier to do alchemy in here,” Fletcher said cautiously as they entered. 

 

Greed made his way over to his bed, a massive thing that was so obscured by other similarly grandiose objects laying against it that it was somehow easy to miss. He threw himself onto the silky sheets, not bothering to take his boots off. 

 

“Eh, you'll figure it out. I really just brought you in here to talk emergency escape plan,” Greed said, nodding at Ling.

 

“Ah, right. That,” Ling responded, idly picking up a small crystal cat sculpture sitting next to him and inspecting it. “I guess it probably was a good idea to come into your lair to catch Fletcher up on everything instead of talking about it in public. I'm assuming you know how much I told them yesterday?” 

 

Greed sighed. “This isn’t a  _ lair  _ Ling it's just-- whatever. Doesn’t matter. I’ve been talking with them about all everything and I think they'll be a decent asset.”

 

Fletcher smiled. “Cool! Do you want to see my alchemy now?”

 

Greed held up a finger. “Hold on, still have to fill you in on everything.”

 

Fletcher looked a bit disappointed, but didn’t interrupt.

 

“Alright, so we have a secret little hideout right outside of the city. It has supplies, money, whatever we need to prepare for a quick getaway. Here--” Greed brought a folded map out of his pocket, “the Devil's Nest is circled in red, hideout in blue, palace in purple, though that one's pretty obvious.”

 

Fletcher took the map and started scanning it, “can I keep a copy..? I'm pretty sure I'm not going to remember all this so quickly. This city is nothing like Central, so disorganized…”

 

Greed chuckled. “Yeah, keep that one. Everyone else has it memorized.”

 

Fletcher nodded and started folding the map.

 

“Okay, so in the last month or two I've been saving up for a truck, y'know, like with a trailer… Big thing. Should be able to finalize the payments in a few days. It's cutting it a bit close, but I'm sure we'll be fine.”

 

“Greed, you're actually... buying this truck legally? With your  _ own money? _ ” Ling teased, though he was genuinely not expecting it.

 

Greed’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he growled back. “Shut up! It's less suspicious that way! And it's not like I'm unable to spend money  _ ever _ shut up!” 

 

Fletcher chuckled, “I see your name is pretty literal, Greed.”

 

Greed glared at Fletcher before continuing. “ _ Anyways, _ the truck will stay in the hideout until we all group up and are ready to leave. I’ll drive us away… Hopefully no one asks me for a driver’s license because I do not have one, and we’ll be able to stop at places I've got in contact with beforehand, friends of regulars and such. Hopefully trustworthy, more trustworthy than just a random hotel or whatever. That's pretty much it, we're mostly relying on the state of confusion after Ling leaves to cover our tracks more than anything.”

 

Fletcher nodded, “that's fair, it seems like a solid plan even if it's pretty simple. Where are you planning to hide long-term?”

 

“Hopefully Amestris will work out, I have a few friends there, Greed’s from there,  _ you're  _ from there…” Ling chuckled as he tried to imagine the look on Alphonse's face when they’d drive up in a truck with everyone plus a homunculus and Fletcher. The face part was a bit hard to imagine, Ling hadn't seen a lot of it, but their reaction would be great. He figured they'd probably get along well with Fletcher, they both had a similar sort of vibe, Fletcher mostly just being more eccentric and outgoing. The image was nice… staying in the Amestrian countryside didn't sound so bad. 

 

Fletcher grinned. “I  _ am _ from there! I say we have a good number of contacts between the three of us.”

 

Ling nodded. “Yep! I say we're more than ready. So now that that's all wrapped up, want to show me that alchemy?”

 

Fletcher's face lit up. “Sure! Yes! Alright--here,” they sat down and started pulling various card-sized tiles out of their pockets, spreading them out on their lap. “Just a warning, I get pretty excited about alchemy, so if I start rambling nonsense feel free to interrupt me.”

 

Ling chuckled and waved away Fletcher's concerns. He was reminded of the first time he met them, they were just as contagiously bubbly then as they were now. 

 

Fletcher pulled a wooden tile out of their pants pocket. It was painted white on one side and purple on the other, it almost looked like a playing card, except instead of numbers on the white side there was a transmutation circle. Fletcher cleared about a meter wide space on the wooden floor and set the card down.

 

As Fletcher placed the tips of their fingers onto the small transmutation circle, the floor started rippling and changing within the space they cleared. The transmutation slowed and Ling realized that Fletcher had created a small model city that looked like it had just grown out of the floor. It was incredibly detailed, the buildings had small windows and doors and there were tiny people-shaped knobs all along the streets. Ling clapped quietly and looking behind him a bit he could see that even Greed looked mildly impressed. 

 

Fletcher flushed and looked down self-consciously at the response and Ling vaguely wondered why they were so embarrassed if they performed regularly. Were people just really rude to them?

 

“It's not the flashiest thing I have, but it's probably better if I don't set off mini explosions and pillars of flame in the middle of the room,” Fletcher said before reversing the transmutation.

 

“Please don't,” Greed whispered, barely audible over the crackling of alchemic discharge.

 

“Not flashy? I’m not an alchemist but the amount of detail in that was mind boggling,” Ling said with a laugh.

 

Fletcher laughed. “Yeah, I’ve been working on this trick for a while, the hardest part was actually figuring out how to get such a small circle to effect the largest area possible, when I started out with this I had to carry around these bits of cloth around about this big,” they held their hands about a foot apart, “I’m glad I was able to shrink it down to these cards, it made things a lot more versatile.”

 

Ling thought that having a small cloth transmutation circle didn't really seem  _ that _ cumbersome, but he didn't say that out loud. Instead, he said, “it's amazing you were able to develop that. Do you think it could be useful elsewhere?”

 

Fletcher thought for a bit before responding. “Well... I'm not exactly quite sure if I'm the first person to discover this, to be honest. I'm completely self taught, and lots of alchemists keep their work hidden from everyone but a few other alchemists they deem to be at their level. I don't think I'd be able to get into that circle even if I wanted to, it's steeped in privilege and woven deep within the military, at least in Amestris. But I guess it could be used in other things! I guess I just haven't had a chance to branch out.”

 

Ling nodded and continued the conversation with Fletcher. He didn't really understand any of the complicated alchemy they were trying to describe, something about using lots of circles within the main one, but it was nice to hear them talk about something so passionately. It reminded him of Ed in a way, though he usually skipped trying to have it make sense to Ling. Even Mei talked alkahestry to him, though that was more because he was a product of advanced alkahestry/alchemy himself. Alchemists tended to just be like that, Ling assumed, and for whatever reason he knew a fair amount of alchemists.

 

* * *

 

The next day was nothing too special. No one was dead yet, though Mei had moved to the hideout early along with Ling's body to lay low. Ed kept studying, though by the amount he chatted as he did so Ling could tell he wasn't really trying all that hard anymore. Soon Ed was drifting off again, and Ling had to force him to sleep again with promises of more Fletcher stories. That day's set of accounts had Ed drilling Ling for information on Fletcher’s compact transmutation circles and “did they REALLY mention pillars of fire as one of their tricks or could it just be exaggeration?” So Ling donned his mask again, the one Fletcher fixed this time, and went off into the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still not 100% happy with that last paragraph time skip-y thing but i swear nothing exciting happened that day i promise


	7. 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im uploading this REAL quick bc i have like no time so if theres any editing mistakes in this blame that. one of my favorite chapters tho so hope y'all enjoy

Lan Fan really didn't understand the appeal of the dingy bar Ling scampered off to every night, but she had to admit it was a pretty on brand Ling behavior for him to go there. The idiot. At least she didn't have to follow him around. She stared absently at the rooftops Ling had disappeared amongst for a bit before she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. 

 

An intruder. 

 

He was fairly large, muscular, and although he was alright at hiding amongst the bushes it was clear he wasn't an expert. Probably not hired any of the clans, which was good, but he was making a bit of a beeline towards Ling's room, which wasn’t good.

 

Lan Fan slipped behind the intruder and slit his neck, clean and easy. He hadn't even noticed she was there. But instead of falling to the floor dead, the intruder looked over his shoulder with a bored expression while red alchemic discharge danced across his neck. 

 

“I'd rather not die much more today, thanks,” the intruder said casually. 

 

Lan Fan’s eyes widened. “Homunculus.”

 

The intruder looked impressed. “Skipping the ‘monster’ and going straight to the h-word… You must be Lan Fan, better not kill you.”

 

Lan Fan frowned under her mask. “Who the fuck are you?”

 

“Ling never told you about me? I'm Greed!”

 

Lan Fan blinked, “...The bartender?”

 

Greed grinned wildly, showing off his disturbingly sharp fangs. “The one and only!”

 

“You're a homunculus.”

 

“Hm, I guess I did tell Ling not to tell anyone about that. Never expected him to actually follow through on his promise… But yes, I'm a homunculus. You've met my siblings back in Amestris. But don't worry! I'm the nice one.”

 

Lan Fan realized that the name Greed would fit pretty easily within the theme of the names of the other homunculi she'd had the misfortune to meet. She sighed. “Why are you trying to break into the palace?”

 

“Oh shit-- right. Ling can't come to the Devil’s Nest tonight. Someone figured out he goes there every night and set a trap for him.”

 

Lan Fan stepped back. “He's already on his way there already. Why the fuck did you not mention this sooner??”

 

“You fucking killed me!” Greed sputtered. 

 

“I kill lots of people! Get over yourself!” Lan Fan said, stomping past him. “We have to save the Young Lord’s dumb ass!”

 

* * *

Greed was bullying Fletcher over the fact that they'd had five glasses of milk within the last half hour when he felt a knife at his neck the first time that night. 

 

“This bar is ours now, unless you want to die.”

 

Greed didn't even think about what was going on before he stabbed the man behind him in the chest with his shield. All he knew was that someone was threatening to steal his property, which he wouldn’t stand for.

 

Unfortunately, Greed’s claws met steel instead of flesh, and the knife plunged into his neck. Usually, his stone would just heal him, but this guy was clearly more of a threat than Greed originally assumed, and as he died he suddenly realized his bar was flooded with mercenaries that didn't quite look like they came for a drink. So Greed let himself crumple down to the floor, ignoring the excruciating pain of death and the fact that Fletcher probably thought they just saw him die for good.

 

“If anyone else in here resists, you're dead. Got it?” The man said. No one made a sound. The chimeras were probably itching for a fight, but Greed knew they'd wait for him to stand back up and lead the fight. He wasn't about to do that. These mercenaries had only one goal, and if Greed played his cards right, he wouldn't lose anything valuable that night.

 

The mercenary that killed Greed kicked him out of the way (ow) and shuffled closer to the bar. 

 

“You,” he started.

 

“Me,” Fletcher answered in the same accusatory tone. Greed had no idea how they did it when they looked like they were about to cry the previous night trying to show off their alchemy. Maybe that was why they wore those goggles. 

 

“You talk frequently with the man going around as Avarice.”

 

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

 

“That was a statement, not a question. When does he usually come in?”

 

Fletcher sighed. “It depends on the night, usually. He might show up in 30 seconds, might in two hours. Is that really all you want to ask me?”

 

“I doubt you know as much about him as we do. Do you even know why we're after him?”

 

“...Assasin wars?”

 

“Nope!” A crash, a clatter and a cry of pain as Fletcher was presumably shoved off their seat and onto the ground. Greed didn't have the best view with his nose smashed into a corner. “Tie him up, he's no real use to us. Doubt our subject would ever tell anyone much.”

 

The mercenary leapt over the bar and Greed gurgled a sigh of relief. He didn't start healing completely, the discharge would surely be noticed across the room, but he did start inching his way out the back door. It was agonizing, but it was worth it.

 

His most valuable possession was on the line. 

 

* * *

Ling strode into the Devil’s Nest that night with his head tilted up high. It was a nice night that night and he couldn't wait to see what dumb things Greed and Fletcher were up to. 

 

That jovial energy died the moment he actually looked at the room he entered. There were masked, armored assassins crawling amongst the walls and the patrons of the bar were all bound in ropes, gagged, and placed in a pile in the center of the room. Facing him was Fletcher, face bruised and goggles cracked. They gave an apologetic wave as he entered. 

 

Ling's mask was pulled off his face mere seconds after he entered and moments before he processed what exactly was going on. He was attacked soon after he lost the mask, a knife was swung at his head and he dodged purely out of reflex. He was a very skilled martial artist with the advantage of an incredibly strong and inexhaustible body, but it became clear to him that he wouldn't be able to avoid getting pinned down and pulled apart.

 

After a few close calls and a good amount of fighting, Ling heard the distinctive sound of alchemic discharge coming from behind him. It was Fletcher, and Ling suddenly realized what was so useful about their little alchemy cards. 

 

Instead of doing much more than distract the enemy and maybe sock a guy in the face, Fletcher didn't contribute to the fight all too much. Instead, they darted to Ling and dragged him out of the room. Past the bar, Ling saw a trail of blood going towards the door he was pulled through and suddenly wondered where the fuck Greed was. He'd be amazing in a fight. 

 

There was not too much time to think about that though, as Fletcher didn't spare a single glance towards the trail. They went straight to the garage, which was less like an actual garage and more like Greed’s second bedroom considering the contents. Greed had never owned a car from what Ling knew, but as Fletcher picked their way through the mess, Ling could see a motorcycle parked right next to the door.

 

“Uh, you go back and open the door. I was just checking to see if Greed was actually telling the truth about having a motorcycle,” Fletcher said, glancing at Ling. 

 

Ling nodded and laughed as he turned around to open the door. “It might not seem characteristic of him, but Greed actually has something against lying. Sure, he exaggerates, but he never straight up lies.”

 

“He told me that, but I assumed it was a lie,” Fletcher yelled over the creaking of the door slowly rolling open.

 

When Ling finally settled himself the best he could behind Fletcher on the one person bike, the door to the bar slammed open and the mercenaries started flooding the room. 

 

“Can you even drive this thing?” Ling asked as Fletcher started the engine. 

 

“Theoretically,” they replied with a grin, starting to jauntily accelerate. 

 

The two tore through the street without very much grace. Ling started to lose track of how many times Fletcher had come way too close for comfort to running into a wall, but at least they were moving fast. They were about halfway to the hideout before the mercenaries caught up. They had motorcycles of their own, which Ling thought was mostly unfair.

 

The closest mercenary rode up towards Ling and shot a small harpoon into his back, right where it was made of chain mail. Another mercenary aimed for his elbow, but missed. 

 

“They're trying to pull me off!” Ling yelled over the engine.

 

“Fuck…” Fletcher went silent for a few seconds before asking: “where's your seal?”

 

“...What?” How the fuck did Fletcher know anything about that?

 

“The rune that binds your soul to your body  _ where is it?” _

 

Another harpoon landed. 

 

“Back of my left hand, it's underneath a small panel.” Ling desperately held on to Fletcher's back as he slowly felt himself being pulled backwards. 

 

“Alright,” Fletcher muttered, barely audible. They quickly let go of the handlebars of the motorcycle to clap their hands together. The bike swerved, but they were able to stabilize it with one hand while reaching out towards Ling's left forearm with the other. The moment their hand touched the arm, it was destroyed across the middle with an explosion of purely destructive alchemic discharge, three inches up the arm and three dangerous inches towards the hand. 90% of Ling's body suddenly fell away.

 

Fletcher wasn't done. Before Ling could start to comprehend any of what just happened, Fletcher lept off the motercycle and ducked into a small alleyway, taking the broken wrist and hand that was all Ling was at the moment with them. The bike careened down the main road and then exploded. 

 

“That, plus the fact that they probably think the rest of your body is what is actually you, will probably shake them off our tail, but I'm going to just run around aimlessly for a bit to make absolutely sure they don't follow us to the hideout,” Fletcher explained as they ran, holding Ling's hand in front of them like they were talking to some small animal. 

 

“Hey Fletcher what the fuck?” Ling asked while flipping them off, one of the only ways he could express himself at that point.

 

Fletcher just laughed a bit while panting heavily. Ling had no clue what the fuck was going on with them. They were clearly hiding something-- lots of somethings, and it all made Ling's metaphorical head spin. Oh yeah, and he was currently just a hand. That wasn’t an amazing development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me your theories about what the Fuck is going on i live for that. absolutely would die for y'all. love keeping you in the dark on mysteries ive created.


	8. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

It only took a few moments of regaining their breath before Fletcher was able to answer Ling's very graceful question of “what the fuck?”

 

Fletcher looked down at Ling, flashed him a shit eating grin and then pulled their goggles up for a quick second, revealing a flash of golden eyes. Suddenly Ling realized that they looked very familiar.

 

"Ed?" Ling asked tentatively.

 

"What? No. How the fuck would that make any sense?" Fletcher responded, a bit quieter than how they usually talked.  Ling recognized that tone.

 

"ALPHONSE??"

 

They cackled and started running again. Ling took that as a yes. 

 

* * *

“Bye Winry! Bye Paninya! Bye Al! I'll be back as soon as possible I promise!”

 

Winry sighed as she watched Ed make his way down to the train station. The idiot was getting himself into more alchemy related trouble, but this time it was in an entirely different country. Not that she thought Ling didn't need any help, of course he did. She just wished Ed's adventures had stopped after Al got their body back, but it seemed like he just couldn't sit still. At least Al was sensible enough to stay home. 

 

“...Is he gone?” Al muttered to themself, squinting at the road in front of them. Ed's head had just disappeared under the crest of the hill.

 

And then Al brought out a suitcase from who knows where.

 

“Alright, I'll just wear a hat and hope he doesn't look my way when I jump on the train. See you two!” 

 

Winry blinked. She didn't know what to say. 

 

“Didn't Ed finally convince you to stay home with us?” Paninya asked with a frown.

 

Winry nodded hurriedly at her wife's words, that’s what she should’ve said. “Al…what are you doing?”

 

Al looked back and frowned. “There's no way I'm letting brother go off to just help Ling ignore the fact that he's trying to perpetuate his horrible condition. Who do you think I am?”

 

“You looked… So sure that staying home was the best option up until two seconds ago.” Winry just couldn't believe it.

 

“I've had manually move my face a lot of the time for about five years now. Do you really think I'd have that much of a problem faking my expression?”

 

Winry rubbed her forehead and sighed. “Have fun! I guess! I was going to make apple pie tonight but I guess not!”

 

“Aw Winry! You're still allowed to make pie without me!”

 

“It tastes better with you around!”

 

Al turned around and started walking. “Stop trying to guilt trip me! I've made up my mind!”

 

* * *

_ Just pretend like you’re supposed to be here and no one will bother you. Confidence is key! You existed as an eight foot tall suit of armor for five years and no one gave you THAT much trouble, compared to that this is nothing! _

 

Alphonse had no idea how they weren’t dead. They realized very quickly after stepping off the train that they had absolutely no plan for how to actually… Help Ling without him knowing that it was them who was doing it. Because of course he wouldn’t listen if he knew, he never listened to their letters.

 

Trailing after their brother through the palace up to the throne room, Al put on a smile so bright it hurt their face. There were a few odd looks from the occasional stranger, but if anyone was doing anything about them they didn’t notice, they just pressed on, not looking at anything other than their destination.

 

Al hid behind the huge palace doors, listening as Ed spoke with Ling. They could hear the worry in their brother's voice and sympathized, they weren't sure they'd even be able to get any words out if they were in his position, though they'd have to get over that soon if they wanted to make this trip worthwhile.

 

_ “I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow snuck into my suitcase…” _

 

Al snorted at their brother's faraway words. Something like that. 

 

The conversation in the throne room was short and Al was back to trailing their brother. The hallways become smaller and more maze-like and Al began to relax a tad, there was a lot less traffic through these areas. 

 

As Ed and Ling finally approached their destination, Lan Fan suddenly descended from the ceiling and scared the absolute  _ shit _ out of Al. She took no notice of them, however, and entered the room to exchange a few words with Ling.

 

Lan Fan exited the room after the short conversation and Al hid behind the door. They thought they were free, but the moment the door closed, Lan Fan grabbed Al’s arm, not even looking back to see them. She’d already known they were there. She pulled them away from the room and down the hallway quickly but silently.

 

“I thought you hadn't noticed me! You scared the shit out of me grabbing my arm like that!” Al grumbled quietly as soon as they were sure they were out of earshot of Ed and Ling.

 

“I knew you were here the whole time,” Lan Fan responded flatly, not bothering to look at Al as she spoke. “I'm the only reason you're alive, I was escorting you along with Ed.”

 

Al cringed. “You aren't going to tell everyone else… are you?”

 

“Lucky for you, no. Unlike anyone else here I actually think you'll be smart about this bullshit-- wait here.”

 

Al was suddenly pushed into an empty room by Lan Fan, who had apparently ran into Mei. After a very brief exchange, Lan Fan entered the room after them.

 

“You don't have a plan though, do you?” Lan Fan asked in a hushed voice.

 

“...No, not really. I kinda just decided to come like this on impulse when I realized that I wouldn't be able to convince Ed and Ling to allow me to come the normal person way,” Al admitted. 

 

Lan Fan sighed. “Alright, I don't have much of a plan either, but I have info. You're probably best off talking with Ling when he goes off on his nightly errands, I know the place he runs off to regularly so that shouldn't be too much of a deal. You'll need a disguise, I have some masks you can borrow but he might recognize them so if you have any other ideas…”

 

Al frowned. “Are you sure I need a disguise? I mean, I look a lot different now compared to the last time I saw him.”

 

Lan Fan was silent for a few seconds before speaking, “I. Okay. Have you ever seen anyone other than you, your brother, and your late father who’ve had such distinctive Xerxian features? I mean not to be blunt but you look like you just stepped out of a book of legends.” 

 

Al blinked. They forgot about that. Myths about Xerxes and the Eastern Sage were a lot less specific in Amestris, probably for homunculi related reasons. In Xing, however, golden eyes and hair were deeply symbolic of immortality and perfection. Having light hair and dark skin wasn't as rare in Amestris, and they'd gotten a lot more strange looks back when they were a suit of armor. 

 

“Okay, do you know where the stables are? I know how to dye my hair with alchemy, but it's a lot easier with longer hair. I can reconstruct the horse hair and fuse it to my own alchemically and then dye it.”

 

Lan Fan stared at Al. “That sounds absolutely disgusting.”

 

Al shrugged. “Any better plans?”

 

“No, I guess not... How are you planning on hiding your eyes? They'd probably give you away a tad quicker than your hair, bleach exists after all.”

 

“Oh right! Uh… Hm. I think Ed packed some shaded goggles just in case, they're specially made for alchemy and we only own one pair because they're expensive and only really used in very specific circumstances. Do you think you could maybe… Borrow them for me?”

 

“Only because you're helping the Young Lord…” Lan Fan muttered. 

 

* * *

Al was pretty confident in the persona they'd cooked up by the time they first stepped into the Devil’s Nest. An eccentric Amestrian alchemic performer with some interest in the emperor whose skills in alchemy barely exceed what's needed for their work. All they had to do was make sure their smile was pleasant and their voice loud enough. 

 

The Devil’s Nest was a very strange place, definitely not one Al would ever expect to find in Xing. Along with the high number of shady figures, the atmosphere and decor were so glaringly Amestrian that Al almost forgot to order in Xingese. 

 

Not that the bartender wouldn't understand them, they realized as they managed to strike up a conversation. His accent was a lot weaker than Al’s but it was noticeable and consistent.

 

“Oh well, nice to meet you too I guess! Never seen you in here, what's your name?” The bartender asked with a toothy smile as he handed Al their drink.

 

Al panicked internally for a second. They forgot about that part. Thankfully, they had a godlike poker face and a quick mind. 

 

“Fletcher! I'm Fletcher. And you are?” Al figured that since there was a Fletcher that had stolen their identity once they were completely allowed to steal his. 

 

“I'm Greed, nice to meet you.” He stuck out his left hand to shake, probably just to show off his tattoo, or be annoying. Or both. 

 

As Al shook Greed’s hand, they realized they recognized that tattoo.

 

_ No way. No fucking way.  _ Al thought when they saw the ouroboros tattoo. His name fit too. And his unnaturally sharp teeth. This guy was a homunculus.

 

“So! Greed!” Al started, forcing a smile over the panicked expression that threatened to flood their face. “How long have you had this bar?”

 

“Hmm, that's a good question. Hey Bido!” Greed called out to a small hunched figure near the corner of the room.

 

“Yes, Mr. Greed?”

 

“How long’ve we been in Xing now?”

 

“Hmm, about fifteen years now I'd say.”

 

Greed nodded. “That. Fifteen years.”

 

Al had no idea if they could believe this guy, but it wasn't like they could just ask if he was a homunculus and if he was connected to that Father guy. 

 

“Huh, what brought you here?” Al asked instead. 

 

Greed smiled and leaned in like he was about to share a grand secret. “Believe it or not-- the government was hunting me down.”

 

Al gasped a bit for show. Inwardly, they were trying to piece together this story. “The government? What exactly did you do?”

 

“Well, actually… I come from a rather large family-- few of my siblings have ties to the military along with my father. I didn't want any part with it ‘n started causing a bit of trouble. Family didn't quite enjoy me ruining the name, so they pulled some strings to try to silence me.” Despite its subject, Greed seemed quite excited to share this story, like he thought it made him look cool.

 

This story sounded very much like a watered down version of what could actually happen if one of the homunculi deserted, so Al begrudgingly took it as truth. It wasn't like Greed could possibly know that they'd been in the thick of it at one point.

 

Al sighed inwardly. So there they were. Talking with a homunculus at a random bar in Xing, waiting for Ling to show up sometime. They were determined to help though, even if they had to do it in this very convoluted roundabout way. They needed to do this, it was the only way they'd feel alright about the whole thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've lied about how much al's in this story. whoops! sorry. if you know me you know i cannot write anything without al, it's just not possible.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI IM SO SO SO SO SORRY THIS IS A WEEK LATE!! PLEASE ENJOY IT... I HOPE ITS A GOOD AND SATISFYING ENDING!

Lan Fan and Greed arrived to a Devil’s Nest aflame and the moment he saw it, Greed started crying. Just a bit.

 

“My- my _bar_ I had _everything_ in there-!!” Greed looked genuinely devastated, which surprised Lan Fan a bit. “Did everyone at least make it out?? Fuck…”

 

A hard black sheen then made its way up Greeds arms and up his neck, covering his head and turning his face into that of a demon. Lan Fan supposed that despite how soft this homunculus seemed there were some things that'd always be monstrous about him.

 

Greed only took about two steps into the fire before a man ran down the street calling his name.

 

“Dolcetto?” Greed looked back in surprise, voice distorted but clearly relieved.

 

Dolcetto smiled slightly. “Yeah, it's me. I caught a whiff of you coming this way so I ran back to tell you what happened, you know me. Anyways, I don't think you're going to be able to salvage anything from that mess, it's been burning for a while and as you can probably tell the upper level collapsed.”

 

Greed whimpered a bit, a very strange sound to hear from under his shield. “...Is Avarice alright at least? And everyone else?”

 

“Avarice ran off with Fletcher a bit before the bar burnt down. The mercenary guys let everyone go before they started the fire.”

 

Lan Fan frowned. “Wait, if everyone got out why did they burn it down? Wouldn't that defeat the whole purpose? Doing that's supposed to cover your tracks but if everyone survived…”

 

Dolcetto just shrugged as Greed turned around and walked out of the fire, his face slowly revealing itself again and eyes full of hatred. “They took my stuff. They were hiding the fact that they took my stuff.”

 

Lan Fan shook her head. “Greed, you don’t know that. You don’t know if you’re going to get anything out of chasing those mercenaries down. We have to go to the hideout, you're part of the whole escape plan right?”

 

Greed stared at Lan Fan with a truly terrifying expression, much more terrifying than his demon face. “They _stole_ my things and _burned_ my home. I don't fucking _care_ about that brat.”

 

Dolcetto cleared his throat to get Greed’s attention and sighed. “Aren't you against lying, Greed?”

 

Greed’s rage completely refocused onto Dolcetto. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

 

Dolcetto shook his head. “Are you really ignoring your, in your words, ‘most prized possession’ for some… What. Trinkets?”

 

Lan Fan wanted to argue that Greed in no way owned Ling, but she didn't really feel like getting on Greed’s bad side at that moment. “Aren't you in charge of the escape truck.”

 

“Yeah… Yeah I am.” Greed looked like he’d calmed down a bit, he took a few deep breaths before continuing. “I didn't manage to finalize the payments so early though so we're going to have to get it through… Other means.”

 

“That's fine.” Lan Fan said matter-of-factly. “Let's just hope Ling and… Fletcher, was it? Make it to the hideout alright. We'll just have to pick up Ed on the way, he might be an idiot but he'd be useful in truck theft.”

 

* * *

 

When Al arrived at the hideout with what was left of Ling, Mei was understandably upset.

 

“Yao what happened to you??” She exclaimed, tearing Ling out of Al’s hands. “And who exactly is this?? Did they do this to you??”

 

“Hey Mei, it's me… Alphonse Elric…” Al said quietly, cowering at Mei’s words a bit.

 

“Yeah right,” Mei said, rolling her eyes.

 

Al sighed and took off their goggles and opened their eyes extra wide. “See? Here look let me show you some alchemy…” They clapped, fixed the crack in the goggles and put them back on.

 

Mei was not happy. “Why are you here! We told you to stay behind! I sent you like ten letters detailing why exactly we didn't need you to come and how we wanted to look out for your mental health you can't just throw away all that!”

 

“Well I think I handled things fine! I only cried like… Three times. And never in front of Ling! And also I'm pretty sure we have to put him back into his body now so it doesn't even matter anymore!”

 

“They _did_ save me from mercenaries, Mei,” Ling added.

 

Mei sighed. “And destroyed a huge chunk of my hard work.”

 

“Hey you don't know that was me!” Al argued.

 

“There's transmutation marks along the edges.”

 

“They could've had their own alchemists! You don't know!”

 

“It's destruction alchemy, you copied that from Scar.”

 

Al frowned. “...It was completely necessary, they were about to kidnap Ling, they _harpooned_ him--”

 

“Can I return to my body now?” Ling interrupted, poking Mei. “I'm sick of being just a hand and I don't see the point of keeping me like this if we're going to be on the run from now on.”

 

Mei's anger dissipated in an instant. “Ah, sorry. Got a little distracted by the big idiot in the room. As long as they're here at least they can help me out a bit.”

 

The small group shifted over to the bed holding Ling's body. It was just a mattress this time, and the body was clothed in simple daytime wear instead of the pyjamas it usually wore.

 

“You know how to deactivate the blood seal, right?” Mei asked, handing Ling over to Al.

 

“Yep! I deactivated my own, remember? You were there…  Also you helped. It was a big thing, you were crying, how do you not remember this?”

 

Mei held up her hands in defense. “Just had to check if you remembered how to do it! No harm in double checking.”

 

Al shrugged. “Fair enough. Just tell me when to deactivate it.”

 

Mei nodded slightly and planted five of her knives around Ling's body.

 

“Three... two... one.”

 

Ling's body-- no-- _Ling_ blinked and sat up as his soul returned to his body, groaning a bit.

 

“...When do I finally get to eat something again? I forgot what hunger was like.”

 

Al laughed and grinned before pulling Ling into a hug. “Welcome back!” They said, voice wavering a bit. “...There's tears in my goggles but I don't want to elbow you trying to pull them off and have one of your first feelings be that.”

 

Ling laughed with a look of utter wonder and relief on his face. He reciprocated Al’s hug, shaking and almost collapsing in their arms. “I wouldn’t mind it all too much, haven’t had anyone elbow me in a while.”

 

“Just wait for Lan Fan to get here,” Mei said flatly.

 

At those words, there was the screech of tires and the sound of car doors opening and closing. Speak of the devil.

 

Greed raced into the room panting, a wild looking grin on his face. “Hey guys! We need to leave like _right now_. I just stole a truck and it's no question that the mercenaries will put the truck theft and your disappearance together and track us down so uhhhhh let's get out of here!”

 

Behind him Lan Fan and Ed jogged in, and soon enough Ed made eye contact with Ling. Actual, real eye contact.

 

As soon as he could comprehend what that meant, Ed ran to Ling, hugged him, and kissed him on the lips.

 

Ling was 100% not ready for this, but that was alright. He had a very hard time reciprocating it considering he hadn't used his lips for literally anything for five years, but that was alright. He had a hard time keeping tears out of his eyes, but that was alright.

 

“That’s pretty damn perfect” Al mumbled to themself, barely audible.

 

Ed let go of Ling and turned around slowly. “Al what are you doing here? What the fuck did you do to your hair? And-- hey wait are those my goggles??”

 

“We decided we'd share them when we got them! I'm just here to help out Ling.” Al replied with a huff.

 

Ed stood up and walked over to Al. “Well-- god. You know what? These are just mine now.” He stole the goggles off of Al’s face.

 

“Asshole! At least warn me when you're about to do something like that!”

 

“Yeah, whatever.” Ed turned around and went back to Ling, voice softening a bit. “You need help getting to the truck?”

 

“Probably,” Ling admitted with a chuckle. “These legs probably aren't used to doing much of anything anymore.”

 

Ed smiled and helped Ling onto his feet. They walked out with everyone else, Ling shaky but leaning on Ed.

 

When they reached the truck. Greed called shotgun immediately and Al offered to drive. Ling, having just experienced Al’s driving, was against this suggestion and nominated Lan Fan to do it. She accepted begrudgingly, much to the disappointment of Greed, who still didn't really know what was going on with the whole Al/Fletcher thing. He didn't even know who Al was supposed to be.

 

Everyone else was smuggled into the trailer of the truck, hidden amongst some seemingly random but useful objects that had been picked up along the way. Ling was practically attached to Ed at this point, not letting go of him for a second as he slowly clambered into the truck.

 

“So. Al.” Ed started as soon as the truck started moving, frown illuminated by the lantern Mei had lit. “Why the fuck are you here again?”

 

“I already told you, to help Ling. Which is what I did! I saved his ass!”

 

“Well,” Ling interjected, “technically you didn't save my ass, you abandoned it after you destroyed my arm.”

 

Al gave Ling a death stare.

 

“Just saying!”

 

“Ignoring that,” Ed shot a look at Ling, who happily stuck his tongue out in reply. “I told you not to come. You said you weren't coming. And yet you're here.”

 

Al sighed. “Alright. Ed? I'm going to be honest with you: not coming would've fucked with me more. You were so worried about my reaction to Ling that you didn't even consider what it'd be like for me to just watch you waltz off into the sunset without knowing anything about what was going on. You know who did think about that? Me! You know who was feeling guilty even considering listening to you? Me!! And. I know. There's other reasons. I just--” Al took a deep breath and dragged their hands across their face. “Couldn't bare not to know what was happening. Not to help.”

 

Ed was silent for a few beats. “Okay. I get it. I still don't think you should've come, but you're here now and the hardest part’s over.”

 

“Yeah…” Al smiled slightly, eager to change the subject. “Alright... Anyone have some scissors? Or something that can be transmuted into scissors?”

 

Ling tossed over a few spoons from a set of silverware behind him. “What's it for?”

 

Al didn't answer, they just transmuted the spoons into small but sharp scissors and started cutting their hair down to the copper roots that were coming in.

 

“Al what the FUCK are you doing we're in a moving vehicle,” Ed said with a groan of disbelief.

 

Al looked Ed directly in the eyes. “This is reconstructed horse hair. If I have to deal with it for much longer I will go absolutely crazy. It’s… really gross.”

 

Ling gave a small laugh. “And all to make sure I didn’t recognize you… I mean, it worked, but.“

 

Al shrugged with a calm smile. “You wouldn't have listened to me otherwise.”

 

“Yeah…” Ling frowned in thought for a few seconds before speaking again. “What now?”

 

Ed snuck a glance at his hand entwined with Ling's. “What do you mean?”

 

“I-- well… Hm. I'm not emperor anymore.”

 

Ed nodded and lay his head on Ling's shoulder. “That's true.”

 

“I'm back in my own body.”

 

“Fuck yeah!” Al said with a laugh.

 

Ling smiled warmly and looked between Ed and Al. “You know what? I think it's going to turn out fine.”

 

Ed and Al cheered as Ling laughed a bit self consciously.

 

“Can you guys quiet down? I'm trying to review the route we're taking out of here.” Mei turned back to the three from her papers, taking her lantern and putting it in front of her, blocking a good amount of the light from the rest of the trailer.

 

“We're going to be fine.” Ling said with a smile, looking at Mei fondly. “I have all of you.”

 

“Sap,” Ed teased.

 

“Yeah,” Ling responded, kissing him on the cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to make some more omakes but school's been getting in the way. i might eventually make them once im on winter break (im in the southern hemisphere) so don't unsubscribe just yet! anyways. im really really glad i was able to write this and im really really happy at the reception i got while writing this and not to be completely emo but i love y'all. im real proud of this fic and im so glad i was able to write it and share it. anyways. uhh if u want to talk to me i'm bi-nb-al on tumblr until pride month ends and then i'll be alkahestric. send me a message!! i am very lonely and i love talking about writing. also speaking of writing uhhh *gestures to the rest of my ao3* if u liked this fic u might want to read some of my others because it's all gay fma shit and cool aus... u should give 'em a look.


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